29.3.10
My political orientation has changed a little. I used to be all for big government. I liked the idea of free education and free health care and the high taxes required, and I still do. But I have to admit, I'm not being fair to many of my countrymen. Tough as it is, I must try to understand that there are Americans who don't appreciate, for example, higher education. For them it's rather pointless to pay taxes to support other people's interests.
It occurred to me that a big government can't function well in such a multicultural society. The governments I dream about seem to function fine in smaller countries, like Denmark or Sweden. Maybe it's because those countries' interests are more unified than the interests of Americans. Indeed, it's reasonable that people who live close to one another have similar interests: the smaller the area, the more similar the culture and the problems it faces.
It might make sense for us Americans to turn not to our nation but to our respective state for government. A person like me could then move to the state with super high taxes, but good health care and educational provisions, whereas a farmer who couldn't care less about Galois theory and foreign languages could look for a place where the agricultural industry is well supported.
That's all easier said than done. Many people have settled down and don't want to move anywhere. What do we do with California, which is both an educational and agricultural powerhouse? (No wonder it's bankrupt.)
Regardless, it seems more efficient to exact taxes more on the state than on the national level. California is a state which should have very high taxes. If you don't like taxes, then don't live in California!
Whereas if the nation as a whole has high taxes, where are stingy Americans going to go? Thus, maybe governmental programs like national health care are not a good idea after all. I took note of one Republican's objection to the bill, which claimed that expensive health care was good in that it encouraged Americans to stay healthy: Health care won't be expensive for you as long as you take care of yourself. And that's the way it should be!
What was I thinking when I said that I wanted to live in a place with free health care. I hate hospitals! It'd be great if I can live a long life without ever having to visit them more than once a decade. And even if I pay hundreds of dollars to talk to a doctor and have my blood tested every few years (to give credit where it's due, my parents paid that bill last summer), it still might not amount to as much as the taxes I would continually pay for other people's liposuctions.

I had plenty of time off last week. I went to the theater three times, which is good, because I might not have time in the near future. They've got me working six evenings a week, today till seven thirty, Tuesday through Friday till nine fifteen, and Saturday until six thirty. Of course, I'm have many mornings off, so I can't complain too loudly, even if I don't see why they can't give me just one evening.
I'm pleased to say that I understood most of what was said at the theater. Somehow, I've managed to make some progress on that front. Hopefully speaking and writing will follow.
I played four games of tempo chess yesterday, and won twice! That's a pretty good percentage for me. The first match was against none other than Gilbert Godfrey. He quickly took advantage of a careless opening on my part, haughtily announced check mate, and began muttering something I couldn't understand, judging by the tone something like 'what the hell were you thinking?' An old man who frequents the club without ever playing or even watching the games glanced at me with a sympathic eye from where he was sitting nearby. I shrugged my shoulders after Gilbert charged away and the old man muttered something I couldn't understand. It could have been anything from 'don't pay any attention to him' to 'what the hell were you thinking?’.
I played another old man in the second round. We laced our pawns about each other with an advantageous position for me in the center. Waging battle on both fronts, I sloppily managed to gain the upper hand, but wasted my time finishing him off. I should have simplified when I had the chance.
I played the third match against an equally skilled opponent. I made a stupid mistake and gave up.
I think I played down to the level of my fourth opponent. I got lucky with a combination which won his queen. He gave up, and I got out of there. I would have continued playing, but I had tickets to the theater.